A decree banning Egyptian school pupils from wearing the niqab has been met with scepticism and rejected by many parents and teachers.
Egypt’s Ministry of Education issued a decree on Monday on a unified school uniform policy, stipulating that all pupils must wear the same clothes, with colours varying by school district.
Under the rules, girls are not allowed to wear the niqab in class, as the veil covers their face.
They are permitted to wear the hijab – as this does not cover the face – but must confirm that it is their choice to put on the headscarf, said officials.
Security inside schools was the main reason behind the ministry’s ban on niqabs, said Maysa Abou Muslim, an Education Ministry official.
Outsiders can enter Egyptian schools disguised under the niqab and commit crimes or take examinations on the behalf of other pupils, Ms Abou Muslim said.
However, the decree has been rejected by some parents, who see wearing the niqab as a religious choice rather than a school directive.
“My eldest wears the niqab and if they start enforcing this rule, I will pull her out of school. I don’t think pulling her out will affect her education much anyway,” said Nermine Hassan, 52, a mother of five whose daughter is enrolled in an all-girls school in the Greater Cairo district of Giza.
“She is a secondary student anyway, most of whom only attend private tutoring and only go to the school premises to take their exams.”
Secondary pupils in Egypt mostly rely on private tutoring centres to pass national examinations, as state schools are underfunded and lacking in resources.
A head teacher at an all-girls school in Cairo told The National that he is anticipating parents will resist the decree.
“The problem is that for girls, parents don’t really care about their education as much as boys, especially when it comes to poor families,” the head teacher said.
“If there is any issue that could hurt the girl’s modesty or her family’s reputation, many parents would rather just keep her at home until she gets married.”
Nour Sallam, 47, whose eldest daughter is a student at Cairo University, expressed doubts over whether the rule would be implemented.
She pointed to the dress code for state universities introduced last year, which she says was largely ignored by university workers.
“They announced a similar rule last year at universities. It ended up not being implemented at all,” said Ms Sallam.
“I don’t think that school administrations will be able to handle the pushback from parents on this matter.
“There are many families who would rather pull their daughters out of university than compromise her modesty.”
The dress code implemented at universities was criticised for asking female students to cover up their bodies as it stipulated that short dresses and leggings were discouraged in a bid to “teach students better conduct”.
The dress code was announced after two university students were murdered.
Some feminist activists interpreted the new dress code as blaming women for violence committed by men, as it asked women to change how they dress to protect themselves.
The code was criticised by president of the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, Nehad Aboul Komsan, who last year expressed concerns that it was too focused on covering women up.
Aside from the ban on niqab for girls, this week’s decree also prohibited pupils from using any books and educational materials not issued by the ministry, and also banned smartphones and smoking on school premises.
Additionally, the ministry has prohibited the use of school walls to display any artwork or text of a political, partisan or religious nature.
Homework for kindergarten pupils was also prohibited by the ministry.
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Zayed Sustainability Prize
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
SPECS
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Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
Results:
Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.
RESULT
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai 0 Al Ain 6
Al Ain: Caio (5', 73'), El Shahat (10'), Berg (65'), Khalil (83'), Al Ahbabi (90' 2)
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
